Pineapple fried rice

When the sun’s out and friends are gathered around the table, this pineapple fried rice is the perfect dish to put on the table and let everyone grab their own. It works really well hot or cold, so there’s no need to rush through it if the conversation is flowing. And it might even be possible that it tastes better the next day. Maybe. It’s great all year round, too. It’ll hold its own at any BBQ yet it’s warming and comforting enough to sit on the table in winter.

The pineapple in this dish brings a wonderful sweetness to the rice without overpowering all the lovely fresh veg. I’ve kept everything chunky so you can see it all mixed in with the rice, but if you prefer to your garlic and chilli finely diced then that’s fair game. Fresh pineapple is always great to have, but if you’ve got tinned that’s also fine. Plus, using a tin of pineapple means you get the added bonus of that delicious sticky juice which you can add to this dish to make it even sweeter.

The only real key ingredient here is pineapple, so don’t feel restricted to the ingredients below. Chuck whatever you’ve got that needs eating in this pan. I’m not going to stop you. Another bonus for this recipe is that time-wise, pineapple fried rice takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, making it a perfect midweek option for when time is tight.

Ingredients

250g long grain rice

3 garlic cloves

1-2 green chilis, depending on how you like it

1 red pepper

250g pineapple, chopped into small chunks

100g frozen peas

1 carrot, peeled and julienned

3 spring onions, sliced

50g peanuts, toasted

1 tbsp pineapple juice from the can (if using tinned)

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

Coriander, to garnish

Getting it made and into your mouth

Let’s get that rice cooked. Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Then cook according to the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a small frying pan, dry toast the peanuts. Cook on a low heat for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown marks start to appear.

Now find your biggest frying pan/wok/dutch oven and put a good glug of sesame oil in. Put it on a medium/high heat.

Once the oil has warmed, add in the garlic, chillis and red pepper to the pan. Cook for two minutes, keeping the ingredients moving around the pan as they cook.

Now add the pineapple chunks and stop stirring. Cook for 4 minutes, only stirring the pan once or twice. This helps the everything get some colour.

Add the frozen peas, carrot, spring onions and peanuts. Cook for one minute then add the rice into the pan. Turn the heat down low.

Get everything mixed together and be sure to stir right down to the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks.

Now add in the soy sauce, sesame oil and pineapple juice (if using). Give everything a good stir again. Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring as you go.

Stick the pan in the middle of the table. Top with a huge handful or coriander and let everyone dig in.

This is LT’s favourite dish at the moment. Check out story and find out how she adapted to her first 31 days of veganism.